2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hilkemann
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to someone living on or near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Hilkemann. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilkemann surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Hilkemann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilkemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilkemann
The surname HILKEMANN is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Lower Saxony, particularly around the town of Hilkenbraht, now known as Hilchenbach.
The name HILKEMANN is derived from the Old German word "hilko," which means "helmet." This suggests that the surname may have been given to someone who worked as a helmet maker or someone who wore a distinctive helmet.
In the 13th century, records show a family bearing the name HILKEMANN residing in the town of Hilkenbraht. This early mention suggests that the surname was already well-established by that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname HILKEMANN was Johann Hilkemann, a blacksmith who lived in the town of Hilkenbraht in the late 14th century. He was known for his skilled craftsmanship in creating helmets and other metal works.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Hilkemann was a merchant and trader based in the city of Hamburg. He is mentioned in several historical documents for his successful business ventures and contributions to the local economy.
During the 17th century, a family of HILKEMANN landowners resided in the village of Hilkenbraht. They were respected members of the community and held significant influence in the region.
A prominent individual named Wilhelm Hilkemann was born in 1725 in the town of Hilkenbraht. He was a scholar and philosopher who wrote extensively on the subjects of ethics and morality. His works were widely read and discussed during the Enlightenment period.
In the 19th century, a composer named Friedrich Hilkemann gained recognition for his contributions to classical music. He was born in 1832 in the city of Berlin and composed several operas and symphonies that were performed across Europe.
While the surname HILKEMANN is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of German heritage and has a rich history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilkemann
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilkemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilkemann bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hilkemann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilkemann
Hilkemann appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 9,150 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hilkemann surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #154,907 | #145,757 | 5.9% |
| Count | 105 | 115 | 9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilkemann bearers went from 105 to 115 (+9.5% change). The surname moved up 9,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,757.
FAQ
Hilkemann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilkemann?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Hilkemann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Hilkemann?
Hilkemann ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Hilkemann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hilkemann.
Has Hilkemann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilkemann went from 105 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 10 (+9.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilkemann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilkemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hilkemann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilkemann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%), Black (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hilkemann (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hilkemann mean?
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to someone living on or near a hill. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hilkemann (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Hilkemann?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hilkemann? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.